


Love Is the Answer

by i-wanna-be-your-last (hmweasley)



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, F/M, Frozen AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-03
Updated: 2015-06-03
Packaged: 2018-04-02 15:13:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4064617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hmweasley/pseuds/i-wanna-be-your-last
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry isn't sure why his sister has spent years ignoring him, but he doesn't plan to let that bother him on the day of her coronation. Then, Gemma is revealed to have magical powers, and the announcement of Harry and Taylor's engagement is ruined when Harry has no choice but to chase after her. His focus is on finding his sister, but he doesn't expect to develop any friendships (and possibly more) along the way.</p><p>(i.e. a retelling of Frozen where Harry is Anna, Gemma is Elsa, Louis is Kristoff, and Taylor is Hans. Niall, Liam, and Zayn are there too.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love Is the Answer

**Author's Note:**

> There are several things I think are important to say before we get to the story.
> 
> First of all, I didn't keep everything exact. That's probably to be expected, but certain things were switched around to make it more easier to do what I wanted to with the story. Still, I think all the most important points are still there.
> 
> Second of all, I would like to formally apologize to Taylor Swift for making her Hans. It's not a vendetta against her or anything. I spent a lot of time deciding who would play what character. Originally, Niall, Zayn, or Liam were going to be Hans, but it just didn't seem right. (Mostly because I wanted to end the story with OT5.) Taylor Swift popped into my mind, and she seemed like the perfect choice because of Haylor. This is definitely an example of it being a character that happens to share her name than an actual representation of her. (If this were to be made into a movie for whatever reason though, I could see her doing a really good job with the role.)
> 
> Third and lastly, this ends with Larry, but it's not heavy. There's definitely more emphasis on Harry and Gemma's relationship, just like with Frozen itself. There might actually be more Haylor than Larry overall, but obviously that ends terribly and can never really be taken seriously in the story. The Larry is there but never a huge focus. There's definitely no more romance than you would expect from a kid's movie, if there's even that. I had originally planned on there being more, but instead, it didn't feel right. I think because I kept thinking about the actual movie.

Harry giggled as he weaved through the columns that lined the sides of the massive ballroom. This was their favorite place in the castle to play because of the wide, open space. They could always be found in here unless they were playing hide and seek and needed more nooks and crannies.

Harry stepped over the patches of ice as best he could. He slid a few times, as Gemma intended, but it was nothing out of the ordinary. He slipped on Gemma’s ice a lot, but he didn’t mind. He thought it was incredible what his sister could do, and he got a large thrill at watching the ice form before his eyes. He could deal with losing his footing.

Gemma was laughing loudly as she chased him. They were playing some version of tag. It was difficult to play such a game with only two of them, but they’d always managed just fine.

The ice patches kept appearing, and Harry kept leaping over them. Sometimes he missed a bit, but he never stumbled enough for Gemma to catch him.

“Harry!” Gemma called. “You can’t keep running forever!”

“Yes, I can!” Harry shouted.

Unfortunately, he turned to glance back at his older sister as he said this. The next thing he knew the floor was zooming towards his face. He didn’t have time to do anything as he slammed face forward into the marble floor. His entire body hit hard, making such a loud noise that Harry wondered if he’d managed to crack it. He’d be in so much trouble if that were the case.

It took several moments for Harry to process the pain radiating through his body due to his worries about a punishment. It seemed to be concentrated in his head, but Harry was too disoriented to know for sure. The next thing he registered was Gemma shouting his name much more frantically than she had been before. Harry wanted to assure her that he was fine, but he couldn’t find his will power to move. Even his mouth was incapable of forming any sounds until he let out a low whimper that turned into loud sobs.

“Harry!” Gemma was at his side now, hands running over his back and arms as if she was searching for any outward signs of injury. She went to roll Harry onto his back, but a particularly loud cry made her hastily retreat with a look of horror just as their parents burst in.

Anne was kneeling on Harry’s opposite side from Gemma in no time at all. Des remained standing, looking out at the ice covered room before his gaze turned back to both of his children. Seeing that Anne was giving Harry the attention he needed, Des locked eyes with Gemma, who whimpered in fear. She knew she would be punished.

“What happened?” the king asked his oldest child.

“We were playing.” Gemma’s whimpering was now a rival to Harry’s, especially as the boy had calmed due to his mother’s attention. “I was chasing Harry, playing around. My magic hit him. I had no idea it would happen. He just fell.”

“Des,” Anne said, drawing the king’s attention away from their daughter. “He needs to see the troll king. That’s the only thing I know to do.”

The king nodded, bending down to pick the young boy up. Harry whimpered a bit more at the movement but settled into his father’s arms. Anne stood from the floor as well and made to follow her husband and son out of the room. Gemma hurried along behind, tugging on her mother’s sleeve.

“Is Harry okay?” Gemma asked anxiously.

Anne’s frown deepened as she looked down at her oldest child. “I hope so. This is serious though, Gemma. You can’t go around playing with your powers.”

“I didn’t mean to!”

“Enough,” Anne quieted her with a stern voice, one Gemma was unaccustomed to hearing. “We’ll discuss this later. Harry needs help right now.”

Gemma sunk back against the wall as she watched her family hurry out of the castle, Harry still whimpering in their father’s arms.

Harry looked for his sister as they left, wanting her with him, but it was difficult to keep his eyes open and Gemma seemed to be hiding from him. He was hardly aware enough to know that she wasn’t in the carriage with them as they hurried through Arendelle.

Things were only worsening by the time the carriage pulled to a stop. Harry knew he was being hurried out of the carriage, but he wasn’t conscious of where it was they were or what it was his parents were doing. He thought he could make out a boy peeping out behind a rock, but his parents didn’t seem to notice him, too focused on something else. All he knew was that, somehow, the pain came to a stop and he drifted off into a comfortable sleep, images of the random boy in his head.

The next time Harry opened his eyes, it was bright outside, and he felt as awake and healthy as he ever had before. He had no recollection of the nearly catastrophic events that had happened the night before. All he could remember was running around the ballroom with Gemma, no ice or snow in sight. It was the same as any other day Harry could recall.

Something caught his eye out the window. Harry scuttled out of bed to press his face to the glass, his breath fogging it up so he could hardly see. The first snow of the year fluttered down outside, and excitement bubbled up in Harry’s belly.

“Gemma!” he exclaimed as he tore out of his room and down the hall to his sister’s. This, too, was like so many other mornings, but not every morning meant playing in the ice and snow. “Gemma! It’s snowing!”

Harry banged on her door, expecting Gemma to come flying out like she usually did. They’d have to eat breakfast and bundle up first, of course, but they could still be outside in no time at all.

“Go away!”

Harry froze. He and Gemma had gotten into arguments here and there, but she had never flat out refused to play with him before. Playing was how they’d spent every day for as long as Harry could remember. They were each other’s only playmates, and days in the castle would have been unbearably lonely without each other.

“But-but,” Harry stuttered, bottom lip trembling. “It’s snowing, Gemma. Don’t you want to go outside? We can build a snowman.”

“I said, ‘go away, Harry.’”

“But why?” Harry asked fearfully. Tears prickled his eyes. He’d never been rejected this way before, and he had no idea what to do. Not only was he saddened at the idea of Gemma being angry at him, he also felt embarrassed and unsure of how to handle the rejection.

“I can’t be around you. Not until I learn,” Gemma explained. Or at least she was trying to explain. Harry still didn’t understand. Learn what? Gemma was old enough that she had a tutor, but Harry was almost certain that Gemma didn’t have any lessons today. He didn’t think that was what she meant.

“Learn what?” Harry asked.

“None of your business.”

Gemma’s voice was louder now, as if she had moved closer to the door. It bolstered Harry’s confidence. All she had to do was open it and they’d be face-to-face.

“But-”

“Harry, I’m serious.” Her voice was pleading and desperate, which made Harry feel frantic. Something was going on, and he didn’t know what it was. He didn’t like it. “Go talk to Mum or something. Just leave me alone.”

So Harry did just that, if for no other reason than because he was at a loss for what else to do. He had no one to play with, and he couldn’t build a snowman all by himself. He wasn’t strong enough to lift up the tummy.

Queen Anne was easy to find. She always ate breakfast at this time of the morning before she got to her duties, whatever those were. Harry never paid much attention to what it was his parents did each day. If he tried to, he was told to go play because he was being a distraction.

“Mummy,” Harry whined, running up the the queen and burying his face in her stomach. She gripped him tightly without any hesitation. When Harry pulled back to look at her face, she was saddened but also not surprised, as if she had been expecting this greeting from him. Something was definitely going on that he didn’t know about. “Gemma won’t play with me. She says she has to learn first. What’s that mean?”

Queen Anne sighed before launching into a speech that she had prepared beforehand, not that Harry could tell. “Gemma is getting older, Harry. She needs to start doing big kid things. Like… honing her talents for lack of a better phrase. She may be quite focused on that for a while. I’m sure you can manage to have fun by yourself without her though. Right?”

She smiled down at him, and Harry wanted to smile back. He really did. He always wanted to smile. But something about this wasn’t right, and he couldn’t pretend that it was like his mother.

“No.” Harry felt guilty when his mother’s smile dropped, but he was angry about having no playmate and forced himself not to take it back. “I want to build a snowman, Mummy. I can’t do that by myself.”

Queen Anne offered another hesitant smile. “Maybe not, but there are tons of other things you can do alone, right?”

“Not snowball fights, and forts are useless without snowball fights.”

“There are other ways to play in the snow, Harry. What about snow angels?”

“My snow angels are always ruined unless Gemma’s there to pull me out of them and make sure I don’t fall and mess them up.”

Anne really looked discouraged now. Harry felt a sense of satisfaction knowing he was winning this argument. This was new because his parents were always right.

Anne pinched the bridge of her nose. “Stay inside then. Gemma just can’t play with you, Harry. There’s nothing I can do about that. I’m sorry.”

Harry felt the prickling of tears again and bit his lip to try to contain his sobs. “But, Mummy…”

“No, Harry. Eat your breakfast and then find a way to play on your own. I’ll talk to your father about going ahead and getting you a tutor earlier than planned. Maybe that can help you pass the time.”

Harry quieted, but he couldn’t stop the crying throughout his meal that caused all the food to be tasteless. Not only did he not get to play with his sister anymore, but he was being given lessons. Gemma hated lessons, so Harry knew he would too. He hated everything Gemma hated. The day just kept getting worse.

XXX

The years passed, and Harry never discovered what it was that Gemma was learning. In fact, after several years, he’d forgotten that had been the excuse for Gemma’s avoidance in the first place. He’d decided that Gemma must hate him, but he didn’t give up on visits to her door every few days to try for some sort of conversation. All he ever got were insults and short excuses.

His parents didn’t like Harry’s attempts either. At one point, Harry came up with a conspiracy theory that Gemma must be sick and was being kept away from him to keep him healthy. Harry didn’t know why else his parents were so adamant that he stay away. The idea had worried him so much that he had showed up outside Gemma’s door in the middle of the night after he was unable to sleep. He'd knocked for an hour before she finally responded with a snapping comment that she was fine healthwise and he should let her sleep. Harry hadn’t been convinced, but he knew that was all he would get. The fear had waned after time, and Harry just remained confused.

When his parents died, Harry’s attempts to spend time with Gemma had grown more frequent again. All they had left was each other after all. If anything were going to soften Gemma, Harry thought that would be it.

It had killed him when, day after day, Gemma still refused to leave her room. In more than ten years, Harry had seen almost nothing of the sister who had been his closest companion for the first years of his life. He wished he could feel angry. It might have made dealing with it easier, but instead, he just felt sad. He’d learned to play by himself over time, of course, but it was never fun. His parents had bought him a cat at one point, but while appreciated, there was only so much companionship a cat could provide. Especially one as lazy as his.

Harry had been looking forward to the coronation for more than a year. He’d even counted down the days on a calendar. He was probably more excited than Gemma. Harry couldn’t imagine someone who spent most of their time locked up in their room would be excited about ruling a kingdom.

Gemma’s coronation meant the castle would finally be open. Harry would finally get to talk to people besides the servants, who were fond of him but always busy and unable to talk for long.

Harry watched with wonder as the castle came alive even before anyone new had stepped foot in it. The ballroom, which had become dusty and disused, was prepared to serve its purpose for the first time in years.

Harry couldn’t remember the last time he had felt as much anticipation as he did as the guests began arriving. Everyone had dressed in their best clothes and royalty from all over were there. These were people Harry should have met years ago, should have grown up acquainted with like all of them certainly had.

Harry bounced on the soles of his feet at the edge of the crowded ballroom. He wanted nothing more than to approach someone and strike up a conversation. He’d longed for it for ages, but now that the opportunity was here, Harry was at a complete loss for how to go about it. He hadn’t had a conversation with someone outside of the castle since, well, ever. What did he say to these people?

He glanced toward the staircase, but Gemma still hadn’t descended. She wouldn’t until it was necessary. Everyone was composed as they waited for their future queen. Some were glancing Harry’s way already, making him nervous as he took the seat set aside for him.

Several minutes later, Gemma began her grand entrance. Harry sucked in a large breath, feeling a surge of pride for his sister even though she had all but rejected him for most of their lives. Gemma smiled, but it was with great trepidation. She looked like she would rather be anywhere but at the ceremony. She avoided eye contact with anyone as she walked through the people that gazed up at her in a mixture of awe and undisguised curiosity.

Harry clapped enthusiastically as the ceremony came to a close. Gemma was now queen. It was a day the entire kingdom had been anticipating for years. Even more than that, Harry was now free. The castle was now his home, not his prison. The new freedom gave him an extra boost of confidence as he entered the reception, blushing at the reaction he and Gemma received.

His sister wasn’t paying him much mind. She was folded in on herself, milling around because she knew it was required but making it clear that she didn’t want to get too close. Harry felt sorry for her but also hopeful that this would lead to him not being ignored in the future. Gemma could adjust to actually having company.

“Excuse me.”

Harry twirled around at the tap on his shoulder, taking in the tall, blonde girl that stood there.

He smiled. Here was his chance to make friends, and the girl seemed friendly considering her smile was just as large as his.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Prince Harry,” she continued. “I’m Princess Taylor of the Southern Isles.”

“Really?” Harry asked in excitement. “I’ve never gotten to talk to another princess.” He blushed. “Or, well. Prince or princess. You get what I mean.”

She giggled, covering her mouth daintily with her hand. “Yes, I get what you mean. If you’d like to meet another prince though, my brother Niall is here.”

She pointed in the direction of another blonde who was chatting with a handful of people across the ballroom. He seemed loud and was already drawing a fair bit of attention to himself. If he got any rowdier, it would have been considered improper in this setting. Harry wasn’t thinking about that though. He was looking at the boy with shining eyes, wanting to introduce himself. He didn’t notice the glares that Taylor was shooting at her brother.

“He seems fun,” Harry commented.

“Hm. Yes, I suppose he is,” Taylor said with a sad attempt at a smile. “A bit too fun perhaps. He’s older by five minutes, you see. Second in line to the throne after our mother. He’ll be king someday, but he’s far more interested in fooling around.”

Harry hadn't had many opportunities to study others, yet he sensed Taylor's disapproval. It was such a stark contrast to her previously cheerful manner.

“Well, I wish Gemma was like that,” Harry said. “She’s completely lacking in the fun department.”

Taylor hummed, a more genuine looking smile across her face. “I quite like your sister. Things seem so great here in Arendelle. I almost wish I could stay here instead of going back to the Southern Isles.”

“What?” Harry asked in shock. Sure, the castle had stifled him, but he couldn’t imagine leaving Gemma and living somewhere else.

Taylor shrugged. She was still smiling at him as if her disapproval of her brother was completely forgotten. “Surely you realize how nice your kingdom is? And you’re second in line, just like my brother, so of course you wouldn’t want to leave. I have no chance at the throne, so maybe that gives me a larger sense of adventure. I’ve always wanted to live somewhere new. Maybe meet a nice boy.”

Harry blushed. The line hadn’t been said suggestively, but Taylor was the first person he’d ever spoken to where there was that potential. The idea of that had him hyper aware of the implications, but he didn’t know how to judge someone’s interest in him. Taylor could have meant anything by the comment.

“Oi, Taylor,” a voice called. Harry turned to see Prince Niall coming towards them with a darker haired boy in tow. He didn’t seem to notice Harry until he had reached them, and his previously neutral face broke into a smile. “Prince Harry, nice to meet you.” He held out his hand for a shake. “I’m Prince Niall of the Southern Isles, but perhaps my, ah, charming sister has already told you that. This here,” he pushed the boy beside him forward, “is my best friend Zayn Malik, a Duke in our wonderful country.”

Zayn shook Harry’s hand politely, but his small smile didn’t reveal much emotion. The duke seemed uncomfortable here in the castle. Perhaps because he wasn’t used to attending events in foreign lands instead of the Southern Isles.

“I brought him along for the journey,” Niall explained. “I couldn’t listen to Taylor ramble on forever on that blasted boat.”

“Um.” Harry wasn’t sure how to respond to such a comment without being rude.

Taylor’s displeased expression was back as she glared at both her brother and Zayn, who hadn't even spoken.

“Well,” Niall said, sensing that he wasn’t wanted. “Time to go make the formal introductions to the new queen. That is why we’re here after all. Have to establish a nice, formal relationship and all that. I’ll see you later, Prince Harry. Have fun with this one.”

And with that Prince Niall and Duke Zayn disappeared back into the crowd. Taylor’s expression had softened, but there was still a slight frown as her eyes followed after them.

“Do you and your brother not get along?” Harry asked. He chewed on the inside of his lip, worrying that maybe this was too personal of a conversation to start.

Taylor sighed as if Harry had discovered something terrible. “We used to,” she told him, voice sounding unbearably sad. “We were best friends until the day I turned eighteen.”

“What happened when you turned eighteen?”

Taylor bit her lip, but before Harry could apologize for being too nosy, she continued.

“Apparently, since I have no value as an heir, the only value I have to my parents is to be married off. They never even asked for my opinion on the subject. Niall came to them with the idea of Zayn marrying into the family. They’ve been friends since childhood, but Zayn’s family isn't that well off, if we're being honest. They’ve lost most of their money and are hanging on by title alone. Niall wanted to help them through a marriage with me.

“It’s not that I don’t feel for the poor family. I do, but you have to imagine how terrible it is to feel like something as serious as marriage is being forced upon you.”

Harry did understand. His heart was breaking for the poor girl in front of him. He couldn’t imagine his parents would have done something like this to him had they still been alive.

“So you’re marrying Zayn then? He’s your fiance?”

All of the stirrings Harry had felt earlier vanished.

Taylor shook her head though, renewing Harry’s sense of hope. “No, they would never force it that far against my will. I’ve been refusing for months, and while they haven’t declared an engagement, they saddle me with Zayn all the time. That’s the real reason he’s here. Not companionship or whatever reason Niall tries to come up with. It’s the worst kept secret in the Southern Isles. I’ve heard that there are betting pools among the commoners over when I’ll give in or when Zayn will give up. It’s all so terrible.”

Her lower lip was trembling as she recounted the terrible story.

“Surely your own people aren’t saying those things.”

Taylor huffed. “They’re not my people though, are they? They’re my grandfather’s and, someday, my brother’s, but they’ll never be mine. I’m just the throwaway princess they don’t need.”

Harry was having a hard time wrapping his head around this. For all intents and purposes, he and Taylor had the same role in their families. The second child. Only set to rule if their older siblings were incapable of producing heirs. But Harry, while he had had his own troubles, had never experienced the sorts of things Taylor was describing. Was he an anomaly of royal second-borns? He hadn’t been exposed to the world much after all. How was he to be certain about what he was supposed to feel? How did he know that Arendelle wasn’t saying these same sorts of things about him? He hadn’t spent enough time with his own people to know. Or were they even “his” people? Weren’t they just his sister’s?

“You said you wanted to get away?” Harry asked. He smiled at Taylor’s enthusiastic nod. “Why not stay here? You would be welcome in Arendelle. I’m sure Gemma wouldn’t mind. She doesn’t use most of the castle anyway.”

The tear tracks that had been forming on Taylor’s cheeks dried as she clapped her hands together and bobbed on her toes.

“That sounds wonderful, Harry. I would love to.”

The bouncing stopped as she turned contemplative.

“But it wouldn’t do for an unmarried princess to come live with an unmarried prince and princess with no adult supervision. Rumors would start.”

“Well, the servants-”

“They don’t count,” Taylor informed him. “Everyone knows servants are huge push overs. You can get away with anything. No one of worth would take a servant’s word as truth unless they have concrete evidence. No, unless I was married or, perhaps, engaged to one of you, it would be improper.”

Harry bit his lip. He had no idea what the proper protocol for these sorts of things was, but he’d been feeling all these sorts of things since meeting Taylor. Things that had to mean something. So he went for it.

“What if we were engaged?”

Harry hadn’t known what reaction to expect from Taylor, but his heart calmed when her face broke into a large smile.

“Oh, Harry! That would be wonderful!”

She threw her arms around him and squeezed. They were making the same sort of scene that Taylor had judged Niall for earlier, but that had to be allowed on occasions such as these. This was one of the most important events to ever happen to someone after all.

“Oh, it’ll be amazing.” Taylor continued to twitter on. “We should do it as soon as possible. Just to keep people from talking, you know. Oh, we should start planning immediately. It needs to be perfect.”

Harry nodded along to everything she said, feeling joyful that she had agreed. He hadn’t been expecting his first night of freedom to take such an amazing turn of events.

Harry remembered that something was missing. “Gemma! We should tell Gemma. And Niall.”

“Of course!” Taylor exclaimed, wrapping her hand around Harry’s wrist and tugging him towards their siblings. “They’ll want to know as soon as possible. What better time for the announcement than when everyone’s already together?”

The two of them rushed around the ballroom, arm-in-arm as they worked their way towards their siblings. Niall had kept good on his word that he was going to make a formal introduction to Gemma. He was trying with great difficulty to converse with the new queen, who kept backing away with her hands tucked under her armpits. Zayn stood by watching the scene unfold in unconcealed confusion.

“Gemma!” Harry exclaimed, causing more people to look their way. Gemma turned towards him, face taut.

She took in the stranger hanging off Harry’s arm with thinly veiled distrust, but Harry was too used to Gemma's moods to put stock in it.

“Gemma, this is Taylor.” He nudged the girl toward his sister, hoping they’d have a proper introduction but Gemma stepped back, face stormy. Harry pushed on regardless. “We’re getting married.”

Gemma’s, Niall’s, and Zayn’s jaws all dropped simultaneously. “What!?” they exclaimed, again in unison. It would have been quite impressive if it wasn’t the complete opposite reaction from what Harry had hoped for.

It was quiet for a moment. Harry was unsure how to proceed, and Taylor didn’t seem to be offering any help. She stood at his side, smiling to herself in happiness.

“No,” Gemma stated in a firm, unrelenting voice. “No, you’re not.”

“You can’t be serious,” Harry said in shock. “You haven’t cared about my life for years. Why would you suddenly have any interest in my decisions now?”

“Because you’ve never done something so stupid before,” Gemma said, voice rising in volume. The entire room had quieted to watch the royals argue. “You don’t know this girl. You met her mere minutes ago.”

“She’s a princess of the Southern Isles. Her brother is right there.”

He pointed at Niall, who was glaring at his sister as she stood next to Harry. He wondered why neither one of their siblings was happy for them, but he was too focused on Gemma to pay Niall much mind.

“What difference does that make? Knowing someone’s position in life doesn’t mean you know them. Can you tell me one thing about her besides that?”

Harry hesitated but came up with an answer. “She’s nice. That’s the most important thing, isn’t it?”

Gemma dropped her head into her hands.

“Not as a basis for a marriage. If that’s all you know, then you’re not ready.”

Harry didn’t know how to convince Gemma that she was wrong. How did he force her to see that, no matter what little time there’d been since they met, he knew Taylor enough to know that she was the one? He knew she was. They’d had a connection the moment she tapped him on the shoulder. Why couldn’t Gemma see that? He thought it was blatantly obvious from how well they seemed to complement each other.

“Prince Harry,” Niall interjected, bowing his head due to his interruption. “With all due respect, I have to side with your sister on this matter. I’m sure my sister has presented this idea as marvelous, but there are things you don’t know-”

“I do know them though. She told me all about that,”

Niall appeared startled that Harry had caught onto his lie before he was able to settle his face into a more concerned expression. “I don’t think she has. At least not the way it deserves to be told.”

Harry couldn’t believe the prince would be so terrible as to discredit his sister with some made up story. Harry didn’t want to hear it. He didn’t want to hear Niall stand there and try to give the girl he loved a bad name. He couldn’t believe he would try in a ballroom full of people. Hell, he couldn’t believe that his own sister was doing this to him either.

“Harry,” Gemma said again. She reached her hand out to touch his arm but thought better of it at the last minute, tucking it back to her side. “You can’t go through with this marriage.”

Harry was bubbling up with anger that he rarely felt. He didn’t know how to release it, especially not in front of so many people. He’d been sheltered from arguments such as these when his sister refused to speak to him and the servants always did what he wanted.

“You’re so selfish!” He burst at Gemma. “You don’t care about anyone but yourself, and then when you can keep me from doing something, you have to pretend to care. But I don’t care, Gemma! I’m marrying Taylor no matter what you say!”

“I can’t believe-” Gemma’s yelling was interrupted when a bolt of magic erupted from her fingers. It landed on the floor, immediately icing over the area. Harry scrambled back, but Taylor’s foot caught the edge of the ice, causing her to almost send them both to the ground.

Once Harry was sure that he was staying upright, he looked back at Gemma. She was staring at her hands in horror, but she sensed his eyes on her and looked up to make eye contact. She began backing away, flinching any time she brushed against someone.

Harry took a step towards her, but Gemma began shaking her head frantically and mouthing the word, “no,” over and over.

“Gemma,” Harry called in desperation.

His sister looked around at the people gathered in the ballroom but not at him. “I have to go,” she said in a pained voice.

Before Harry could do anything, she was fleeing, not responding to her name no matter how loudly Harry called it. He took off after her, not paying attention to Taylor shouting his name or the shocked faces of various nobles. By the time Harry made it outside, Gemma was crossing the water, freezing it as she went. It was impossible for him to follow her immediately.

It took him several moments to realize that the water wasn’t the only thing Gemma was freezing. A shiver ran through his body, and Harry realized that all of Arendelle was turning white. Snow began falling from the sky, and Harry wrapped his arms around himself to try and trap in some heat. He wasn’t dressed for this.

Others had filed out of the castle as well, and they were gasping in astonishment at the sudden winter. They were murmuring things about Gemma and what had happened, but Harry was far too preoccupied to be concerned with that. After Gemma’s disappearance into the snow, he turned to look for Taylor, finding her close by with Niall and Zayn beside her.

Harry hurried towards them. “We have to go after her.”

Niall frowned. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? Look at what she’s done. Did you know she was capable of this?”

“No, but I don’t see what that has to do with finding her. She can’t just disappear and live out there alone forever.”

“Why not?” Taylor asked. “She wants to. Why not let her? She was against our marriage, Harry. We’d be happier without her. If she was here, she’d get in the way of us. This eliminates our biggest problem.”

“Are you forgetting that she’s the queen?” Zayn asked Taylor, voice sharp. He wasn’t bothering to hide his annoyance with her. Probably because all his chances with her had been crushed. “She’s been crowned. Powers or no powers, someone has to rule.”

Taylor rolled her eyes. “Harry’s here. He could rule Arendelle as well as Gemma ever could. She’s as good as abdicated.”

Niall and Zayn shared a look as if Taylor’s words had provided some sort of confirmation that they had been searching for.

“Harry’s not of age,” Niall pointed out. Although he was reluctant to admit that they needed to find a woman who had single-handedly brought on winter. “It’s true that Arendelle can’t have a queen out there wandering in the wilderness.”

“I don’t care about who’s going to rule right now,” Harry said, desperation coloring his voice. “My sister is out there alone. Taylor, maybe she was against our engagement, but I can’t just abandon her. I have to find her.”

Taylor pursed her lips. “Fine. If that’s what you have to do, then I can’t stop you. All I ask is that you think about what it could mean if she stays away. Things would be great, Harry.”

She placed a kiss on his cheek before turning back into the castle. Everyone else had calmed down now that the commotion was over. The crowd had broken apart with some going back inside and some leaving altogether now that there was no queen in attendance.

“Are you really going to go after her?” Niall asked once his sister was out of earshot.

“I have to. It doesn’t look like anyone else is going to.”

Niall and Zayn shared another look where they seemed to be somehow communicating nonverbally.

“We’ll go with you,” Niall offered. Zayn nodded in agreement.

“No,” Harry shook his head. “She was freaked out and scared. I think it would be better if I went alone.”

“Harry.” Zayn’s voice sounded far too intimate when they hardly knew each other and he wanted to marry Harry’s fiancée. “You don’t know how to survive out there on your own. It’s all frozen over. You need help.”

“And you two would know what to do?” Harry asked skeptically.

Zayn smirked. “My family may be nobility, but we’re not the sort of nobility you’re used to. We’re tougher than that. Niall here will probably be a hindrance,” the blonde prince gave an indignant shout, “but I know I could help.”

Harry looked out towards the mountains where Gemma had disappeared. They looked even colder than here at the castle.

“Fine. You can come part of the way, but I’ll need to speak to Gemma alone when we find her.”

The others nodded in agreement.

Since this weather had been unexpected, neither Zayn or Niall had any clothing suitable for this weather. Harry should have grabbed something, but it slipped his mind in the hurry to get to his sister.

The three of them were shivering rather violently by the time they came across the small shop that looked like a shack. They hurried inside, breathing easier once they were shut inside with the warmth. For a moment, they were too busy warming themselves to notice the young man who was watching them with curiosity.

They froze once they noticed him, eyebrows raised over how intently he was watching them.

“We don’t have many winter items,” the man said. He sounded embarrassed, but he was also still looking at them inquisitively. “And why is it you’re all so dressed up? Were you at the coronation?”

Harry cleared his throat. “Yes, um, I’m Prince Harry. Nice to meet you.”

The man’s mouth dropped. “My God. I never thought you’d come in here. I-I’m Liam. I own this shop, but like I said, we don’t really have any winter items. I’m sorry, Your Highness.” He trailed off after his words, like he wasn’t sure if he was addressing Harry correctly or not.

“I understand, Liam, but do you think we could have whatever you do have?”

Liam opened his mouth to respond, but the door opening and bringing a rush of freezing air interrupted him. They all turned to watch another boy around their age enter, eyes down as he brushed snow out of his hair. He didn’t pay much attention to his surroundings as he walked among the items Liam had for sale.

“I need whatever you’ve got, Liam. This stupid cold came out of nowhere, I don’t know what the hell is going on, but I need some stuff.”

He finally looked around and saw the other three boys, taking in their fancy appearance just as Liam had.

“That one’s Prince Harry,” Liam told the boy, pointing at Harry before blushing as he realized it might have been rude. Princes weren’t people you should be angering.

Louis looked at Liam and followed his finger before his eyes landed on Harry. He looked the boy up and down for a moment. “Huh.” He went back to walking through the items until he came to the only winter coat in the store.

“I’ll be taking this then,” Louis said, tugging his money out of his pocket.

“Hold on a second,” Niall stopped him. “We need something.”

“Well, so do I,” the boy responded. “And I believe we can all agree this was in my hands first.”

“We have a queen to save,” Niall told him, frowning.

The boy shrugged. “Not my problem.”

“Louis,” Liam warned, causing the the boy to turn to look at him. “It’s Prince Harry, and if they’re going after a queen, it’s Queen Gemma, I assume.” He turned to the other three to get their nods of confirmation. “Then I can’t just not give them what they need. As much as I can at least.”

Louis looked displeased about this as he stared at Liam. “What about me then? Your best friend, if you haven’t forgotten.”

Liam shrugged. “I’m sorry, Lou. You already have your own coat anyway.”

Louis let the coat drop to the floor. It was true that Louis already had a coat on. Harry wasn’t sure why he thought he needed another one. Not when there were three people in more need of it themselves.

“So what is it you lot are doing?” Louis asked, hostility in his voice.

“My sister can apparently freeze things,” Harry explained, knowing how crazy it sounded. “And she ran off into the mountains before I could talk to her. We have to go find her and bring her back. Make sure she’s okay.”

“Your sister did this?” Louis asked, hand twirling around to signal that he was talking about the weather.

Harry nodded. “On accident. I’m sure she can change it back once we find her.”

Louis snorted. “Whatever. It makes complete sense that you royals would screw up stuff for us common folk without much thought.”

Harry felt anger well up in his stomach. “It wasn’t like that! She didn’t mean to do it.”

“I’m sure,” Louis said dismissively.

Harry didn’t respond, just seethed with anger, but Louis continued anyway.

“And the three of you expect to be able to find her?”

“That’s why I’m here,” Zayn explained, not too fond of the newcomer either. “Just because I’m nobility of the Southern Isles doesn’t mean I can’t-”

Louis snorted. “The Southern Isles? You’re from there, and you think you can lead them up the mountains? Good luck with that. You’ll need it.”

Zayn looked put out, but Louis’ words had struck Niall with an idea.

“Why don’t you help us then?” Niall asked. “If you think you’d be better out there, then come.”

“Uh, no,” Louis responded, crossing his arms across his chest. “There’s no way I’m leading three rich people up the mountains in the freezing cold for kicks.”

“He,” Niall motioned to Harry, “is your prince, and we’re going after your queen.”

“Yeah, still not my problem.” Louis lifted himself up onto Liam’s counter, which elicited disapproval from the shop owner. “You see, I don’t much care about the people in that castle. I’m just your usual iceman who would like to be left alone by the likes of you guys. Thanks.”

“Iceman?” Harry asked. “Then it can’t be too good for you that everything’s currently frozen, right? Don’t you want to help us bring summer back? It’ll help you.”

“Help,” Louis muttered as if it were a joke. “I still don’t care. Besides, my sled only seats two. I couldn’t bring all three of you along even if I wanted to.”

“Then just take Harry,” Niall said as though it were obvious. “He’s the one who needs to find Gemma. We were only here as help, but if he has you, then we’re not needed.”

Louis frowned. “Still a no.”

“You can’t actually be this bitter of a person,” Harry stated.

Louis gasped. “Me? Bitter? I’m not bitter at all, sweetheart. I just prefer to be left alone and not recruited for help any time a spoiled princess or queen or whatever decides to throw a magically-enhanced temper tantrum.”

“She didn’t throw a temper tantrum.”

“Really? Then how does one cast an entire country into a magical winter on accident?”

“She was upset.”

“About what exactly?” Louis asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

“She was angry that I got engaged to a girl I’d just met.”

“Define ‘just met.’”

“We met right after the coronation and-”

“Wait. Wait. The same coronation your sister, quite literally, stormed out of?”

“Yes.”

“Who the hell meets someone and gets engaged in the course of the same party? Are you absolutely mental?”

“We’re perfect for each other.”

“Of course you are. It takes at least a good month for the disillusionment to set in. And I speak from experience.”

“As charming as this is,” Zayn interrupted. “There’s still a queen needing to be found.”

Harry looked at Louis, eyebrow raised. “You may be infuriating, but you’re the best shot I have at finding my sister. I need you.”

Louis still looked skeptical, so Harry tacked on, “I’ll pay you.”

Louis took a moment before replying. “Fine. But I expect good payment for this.”

Harry nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, yes. Of course. Thank you!”

Louis rolled his eyes before dropping down from the countertop he had been sitting on.

“Let’s get going, Curly. The sooner this is over with, the better.”

Harry waved goodbye to Niall and Zayn. The two men looked torn between amusement and worry over sending a prince into the mountains with a strange man they'd just met.

“We’ll be here waiting,” Niall said as Harry tugged on the one jacket left of Liam’s stock.

“Not like we want to freeze our arses off again anyway,” Zayn continued. He turned to Liam. “Hey, mate. You wouldn’t happen to have any hot chocolate, would you?”

Liam shook his head. “No, but I have tea.”

“That’ll do,” Zayn muttered, moving towards a back room without waiting for permission.

Harry followed Louis out into the freezing wind while holding the jacket tightly around his middle. It was too big for him, causing the sleeves to extend far past his hands. The hood flopped over his eyes, making it harder to see through the falling snow. By the time he’d all but tripped into the sleigh, Louis was watching him with amusement.

“Was that coat made for a giant?” he asked. “Because you’re massive, and it still makes you look tiny. Must be why Liam still had it.”

It was a good thing the cold had already turned Harry’s cheeks red.

“Thanks,” he retorted. “I’m just glad I have something.”

Louis shrugged, turning his attention to the reindeer that stood hitched to the sleigh.

“Meet Sven,” Louis announced grandly. “The worst reindeer in Arendelle, but the one I’m stuck with nonetheless.”

Harry thought the reindeer might have glared at Louis over his shoulder, but it must have been his imagination. Louis set the reindeer in motion, and soon they were gliding across the snow. Harry had never felt something as freeing as gliding across the snow in a sleigh. He leaned over the edge, trying to watch the rudders glide across the snow. He turned his head to watch the tracks they left reaching out behind them.

“This is amazing,” he muttered.

Harry was still taking in their surroundings when Louis cleared his throat.

“So,” the older boy began. “A prince.”

Harry turned to him with a raised eyebrow and nodded.

“A real prince,” Louis muttered. “You know, I kind of thought you weren’t real.”

“Why would you think that?”

Louis shrugged. “You or your sister never left the castle. There were rumours in the village, not that I’ve ever put much stock in what people say, but in this case, there seemed to be some merit. How would you feel if you were being ruled over by some invisible people?”

“Gemma wasn’t ruling until tonight,” Harry pointed out. “We had a regent to do that.”

“Yes, yes. But how was everyone supposed to know he hadn’t offed you to stay in power? Lots of people would have.”

Harry shuddered to think that the man their parents had entrusted them to would do such a thing. Did people really have such terrible ideas in their heads? He never would have thought such a thing was a possibility. He’d never been anything but well taken care of. Not once had he felt endangered.

“Mate,” Louis interrupted his thoughts. “No need to get all worked up over it. It’s just rumours.”

“But those ‘rumours’ are terrible.”

Louis shrugged. “Yeah, well, rumours typically are.”

“Why though? Why would people want to talk about terrible things like that?”

Louis shrugged again. “It helps them feel better about their own lives, I suppose. Don’t you feel better about yourself when you’re able to think someone else has it worse than you?”

Harry’s nose wrinkled in confusion. “No.”

Louis glanced over at him before looking back to steer the sleigh. “You really have been sheltered. Have you ever gossiped about anyone?”

Harry frowned. “I heard servants gossiping about another servant being pregnant when she’d only gained weight. I felt so guilty afterwards.”

Louis smirked. “You felt guilty for just overhearing a rumor?”

“Well, yeah, I wasn’t supposed to hear, and it was so mean. I can’t believe they said those things. Pregnancy is such an amazing thing, but they were making her sound like a terrible person. And then on top of that she wasn’t even pregnant.”

Louis laughed, confusing Harry who hadn’t meant to be funny. “You’re quite a strange human being, Prince Harry. Even for royalty.”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just that you’re a lot less… I don’t know. Self-absorbed, maybe, than I was expecting.”

Harry’s forehead wrinkled in a frown. “Why would I be self-absorbed?”

Louis laughed again in disbelief. “You’re a freaking prince, Harry.”

“So?” He wasn’t following Louis’ train of thought. He had no idea why anyone would expect him to be full of himself.

Harry’s head was starting to hurt now. He was beginning of feel like he had missed out on more than he had thought after so many years of being locked in the castle. Even talking to the servants hadn’t prepared him for the sorts of things Louis was saying. It was such a strange outlook, and Harry had no way of knowing if that was just Louis or a commonly held outlook he had never gotten the chance to learn.

Harry had started looking around at their surroundings when he noticed strange movement quite a bit in front of them. They were gaining on it fast, and Harry held onto the side of the sleigh in order to raise himself up and get a better look.

“You’re going to fall,” Louis chastised. He chanced taking one hand off the reigns to tug on Harry’s coat.

“What is that?” Harry asked, not paying attention to Louis’ attempts.

The sleigh slowed as Louis tried to figure out what it was that Harry was pointing at.

“What the-?” he breathed.

By the time Louis had brought the sleigh to a complete stop, Harry was standing up. It was clear now that what they were looking at was a snowman. A moving snowman who was still ambling toward them and smiling happily.

“Olaf?” Harry asked in disbelief, recognizing the little creature instantly.

“Well, hello there,” the snowman returned brightly.

Louis threw out a few choice words. He was still hunched in the sleigh as if Olaf were some sort of wild animal that could hurt him, but Harry felt nothing but curiosity. He stooped down to Olaf’s level, staring at him in amazement.

“How?” Harry asked. “How are you alive? Are you alive?”

“I seem alive to me,” Olaf said. “The how part I’m not sure about. You’re only the second and third people I’ve seen out here to be honest. I’m not sure where I’m going.”

“Second?” Harry asked, excitement building. “Who was the first, Olaf? Did you see my sister? Did you see Gemma?”

“You’re talking about the girl freezing everything in sight, right? Because, yeah, she’s right up that mountain.”

He pointed his stick arm in a direction slightly askew from where Louis and Harry had been heading. Louis grumbled knowing they had been going in the wrong direction.

“Thank you so much, Olaf,” Harry told him as he went to get back in the sleigh.

“Wait. Wait!” Olaf cried, causing Harry to freeze with one foot already up in the sleigh. “Please let me come with you. Please, please. I haven’t seen anyone else, and it’s dark and lonely out here all alone.”

Harry turned to Louis, who looked displeased but shrugged nonetheless.

“Sure,” Harry told the snowman with a small smile. “Hop in.”

Olaf did just that, settling in beside Harry. Even with the jacket, it was Harry’s natural instinct to shy away from the cold snowman, which pushed him into Louis’ side. This sleigh was only meant for two people, and no matter how small Olaf was, he was too much. Harry expected Louis to be unhappy with this, to push Harry off him and closer to the strange, babbling snowman, but he didn’t. His jaw was clenched tight, but he kept his eyes on the path in front of them, not acknowledging how close Harry was now sitting.

“This is so much fun!” Olaf exclaimed particularly loudly. Harry turned his attention to him instead, watching as Olaf hopped up and down, almost losing his head in the process.

Louis was silent the entire time Olaf was guiding them to Gemma’s hideout. Harry couldn’t understand why he despised the snowman so much. Harry wasn’t even sure if Louis had so much as looked at Olaf since he got in the sleigh. Olaf didn’t seem to mind. He didn’t even seem to notice. He just babbled on while occasionally signaling for Louis to turn in a new direction.

They saw the frozen castle long before they had reached it. At first it blended into the frozen landscape, but the snow had eased for now, making it easier for Harry to piece together what he saw. It was too perfectly formed to be natural, and it didn’t take long to realize it was, in fact, a building made of ice. It glinted in the moonlight, and even Louis seemed awed by it. Neither of the boys had seen something to rival this before.

As they got closer, the structure’s true size made itself evident. The turrets towered above them, and everything seemed so detailed that Harry had no idea how Gemma had managed it in such a short time. Her powers had to be beyond anything Harry had imagined before. How had he never known Gemma was capable of things such as this?

“Gemma’s in there?” Harry wasn’t sure why he asked. She had to be. No one else in Arendelle was capable of forming ice into their own personal castle. Gemma’s hideout was so awe-inspiring that Harry felt the same disbelief he had earlier. His sister was kind of amazing.

Olaf nodded. “Unless she’s stepped out. I don’t know where she’d have gone though. No one’s out. She’d be lonely out here without someone else.”

Harry took a step toward the ice castle, but Louis cleared his throat. Harry’s heart was thumping in his chest at the thought of being so close to Gemma. He wanted to run to her, yet he couldn’t bring himself to ignore Louis. He turned back to look at his companion, who was rubbing his gloved hands together nervously.

“Er. I wanted to say good luck, Harry. With your sister, I mean. I think you’ll need it. She’s bloody powerful.”

Louis glanced up at the top of the closest turret that towered above them, taking in the sheer size of what Gemma had accomplished.

“Right,” Harry said, not bothering to look up at the castle again for himself. That wasn’t what was important. His sister was, and he wasn’t getting any closer to her by standing around out here with some random iceman and a talking snowman.

He tread up the steps. He’d never forgive himself if he slipped and looked like a fool in front of Louis. Plus, there was the fact that approaching his sister while injured wouldn’t be the best course of action.

Harry pushed on one of the large doors, but it didn’t budge. The door seemed to be one block of ice with no opening, and Harry had to admit that was a good of a lock as any. He raised his hand to knock instead, not knowing if knocks could be heard through ice like they could the wooden doors back at the castle.

Whether or not she’d heard the knock, Gemma had become aware of someone’s presence outside her door. The frozen doors opened, letting out a bluish source of light within. So much light reflected off the unnatural smoothness of the ice that Harry squinted. He wasn’t even sure what light source it was coming from.

“Harry?” Gemma asked, fear in her voice. “What are you doing here?”

“Getting you, of course. You couldn’t expect me to let you stay up here by yourself forever.”

“How did you find me?” Anger had begun to sink in now, and she crossed her arms as she glared at him.

Harry turned back to look at Olaf, who shrugged and chuckled uncomfortably as Gemma’s gaze turned towards him.

“Olaf.” Gemma was surprised all over again. She hurried down the castle steps past Harry and fell to her knees in the snow in front of the small snowman.

“That’s me.” The snowman smiled.

“But how?”

“Everyone keeps asking that,” Olaf said, waving his stick arms through the air. “I still don’t know.”

“It had to have been your magic.”

Gemma’s head jerked up from Oaf to look at Louis, who had been the one to speak.

“Who are you?”

“Louis Tomlinson, iceman. I brought your brother up here. This is my sleigh.”

Gemma continued frowning at him, although she couldn’t find anything to say. She turned back to her brother, who was lingering at the bottom of the ice stairs.

“You need to leave,” Gemma said in a flat voice.

Harry had been expecting that response, but his stomach still fell when he heard it. A part of him had been hopeful Gemma would go with them easily. She belonged back home, not up here alone in the freezing cold. How could she not see that?

“Only if you leave too.”

“Harry, I can’t go with you. You saw what I did. I’m better off up here. Away from people. Away from you.”

“Why are you so scared? It’s not like you hurt anyone. It’s not like you hurt me.”

Gemma cringed as if Harry’s words had wounded her.

“Maybe not,” she said. “But I always could.”

“No, you couldn’t because you’re my sister. You’d never hurt anyone.”

Gemma turned her back on him, shoulders hunched like she was closing in on herself.

“Just go, Harry.”

“No!”

“I said, ‘go’!”

Gemma whirled on him, magic bursting from her fingers before she realized what was happening. Harry had no time to dodge it. His eyes widened as the magic made contact with this heart, causing him to fall over into the snow.

Harry gasped, clutching at his suddenly ice cold chest. Gemma was horrified, backing up so frantically that she stumbled over the steps of her castle.

“Gemma!” Harry called, reaching out for her with the hand that wasn’t on his chest.

His sister shook her head back and forth, scrambling up the stairs until her back was pressed against the door.

“No, don’t come closer,” she said, arms held up in front of her and waving back and forth as Harry tried to take a step forward.

“Gemma,” he repeated. He was desperate for her to see reason, but he was at a complete loss about how to do that.

“Go!” she urged. “Get away from here.”

Another burst of magic shot from her hands, and a large, monster-like shape rose out of the snow at the bottom of the steps. It continued to rise up, causing Harry to strain his neck to look at the thing’s face.

It was terrifying. Harry stumbled backwards blindly hoping that he was heading in the direction of Louis and the sleigh. The next thing he knew, the back of his jacket was being yanked on, and he was clumsily pulled into the sleigh. There was a split second where Harry realized that he was in Louis’ arms before the boy was pulling away in order to steer the sleigh. Harry diverted his attention to the giant snow monster running at full speed behind them.

“Faster! Faster!” Olaf chanted. He was now on the opposite side of Louis from Harry, glancing from the front to the back of the sleigh rapidly as they flew along.

“Don’t you think I’m trying!?” Louis yelled at the snowman. They were weaving through the trees in an apparent attempt at warding off the monster, but he remained right on their tail.

“This isn’t going to work,” Harry stated the obvious. “We have to do something else.”

“Like what exactly, prince? Please tell me your genius plan.”

Harry stared at the thing behind them, struggling to think in his desperation. The thing wasn't really alive, so there was little hope it would tire out before Sven, who was already stumbling more than he should.

“Your hair,” Louis gasped.

Harry turned to the boy in confusion. “What?”

Louis was sending quick, panicked glances in his direction while still trying to steer the sleigh.

“Your hair’s turning white,” Louis informed him.

Harry grabbed at his hair, anxiety rising up in his stomach. He could see a hint of white when he tugged his hair into his line of sight. A strand of it was now closer to the color of Gemma’s blonde than his own brown. With the combination of that and the freezing sensation around his heart, Harry was growing worried.

“I don’t know what’s happening,” Harry said in a panic. He sunk lower in his seat, wanting to curl up and cry but not wanting to appear any weaker in front of Louis than he already did.

Louis growled in frustration. He was still maneuvering the sleigh with a lot of skill, but Harry couldn’t bring himself to focus on what was happening behind them. He knew Olaf was cheering Louis on. Eventually, the sound of the snow monster behind them died down, and Olaf’s cheers took over completely.

“I knew we’d show him,” Olaf yelled, jumping up and down on the seat of the sleigh.

“What do you mean ‘we’?” Louis jabbed, but there was a warmth in his voice that hadn’t been there before, especially directed at the snowman.

“I knew you’d show him,” Olaf amended. He continued blabbering on in excitement. Harry wished he could share the sentiment, but he couldn’t find it in himself to do much of anything. He wasn’t in pain. All he felt was cold. The sensation might not have been unpleasant if it weren’t for the fact that Harry knew something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

He whimpered as he thought about it. He had no idea what to do.

“I’m taking you to my family,” Louis said, turning the sleigh sharply. He hadn’t slowed down even though there was no longer anything chasing them. “It’s the only thing I know to do.”

Harry nodded. He was thankful for anything that could help. A part of him was also nervous about meeting Louis’s family for reasons that he couldn’t explain to himself. The iceman was so cold and distant that Harry had a hard time imagining his family could be any different.

They flew down the mountain, swerving through trees as they went deep into the forest. Harry pushed himself upright in the seat, anxious to see where Louis had grown up. There were no houses in sight, and they didn’t seem to be going into the village either. It was puzzling.

Did Louis live in another village far away? It seemed unlikely with his urgency. He thought he could get where he was going soon.

The sleigh came to a stop in a small clearing littered with different sized rocks. Olaf and Louis hopped out of the sleigh, but Harry sat there in confusion. There was no sort of house or anything like it in sight.

“Coming?” Louis asked.

“I thought we were going to your family.”

“We did. They’re here.”

Louis motioned his arms around the clearing, leaving Harry even more puzzled. He stepped out of the sleigh and wandered into the clearing, still seeing nothing but rocks.

“There’s nothing here,” he pointed out. “Just some rocks.”

Louis frowned and twisted his hands together. Harry felt a sudden pain in his foot. He gasped in surprise, looking down to see a small troll glaring up at him after having dropped a blow on him.

“We are not ‘just some rocks,’” the troll growled.

Harry took a step back. The troll’s size wasn’t intimidating, but it’s stance was that of someone who could definitely take Harry on. Harry had never been much of a fighter.

“We prefer the term ‘trolls’ thank you very much,” another one chimed in. They had popped up everywhere, all the rocks standing up and revealing what they truly were.

But Harry was still confused.

“Harry,” Louis began, now smiling shyly. “Meet my family.”

Harry looked between Louis and the trolls, one type of confusion giving way to another.

“Your family is trolls?” He asked, forehead wrinkled.

Louis nodded. “They raised me, which is far more than I can say for anyone else.”

Louis’s personality suddenly made a lot more sense. Although looking at these trolls, they had cheerier personalities than Louis had shown.

“Your family are trolls,” Harry muttered to himself out of surprise. He was going to have to mentally come to terms with this. He’d never heard of trolls raising humans before, and he still didn’t know how Louis had wound up with no human family. Even once their parents had died, tons of adults had come forward to help Gemma and Harry in anyway they needed. How had Louis not had even one adult willing to do the same?

Harry was yanked out of his thoughts when he felt tugging on his hair. He let out a yelp of pain, not expecting to be rough-handled. Several trolls had stood on top of each other in order for the top one to be Harry’s height. They were inspecting his head curiously. After all, Harry was far too young to have white hair.

“The hair’s why we’ve come,” Louis said, answering their unspoken questions. “Or a part of the reason at least. Where’s Grand Pabbie?”

One of the trolls, who was wearing far more adornment than any of the others, stepped forward. He looked at Harry with a wiser expression than many of the others. His face lacked the curiosity the others expressed.

“What is it that happened?” he asked both Louis and Harry.

Harry took it upon himself to answer in a slight fit of panic.

“We went after my sister Gemma. She can make snow. I didn’t know. But she got angry when we got there and blasted me with her magic. My chest feels frozen.”

The troll king nodded along as if none of this was surprising. He stepped forward and motioned for Harry to get down on his level. Harry did so with no questions asked, stooping down so that his face was right above the troll’s. Grand Pabbie put his hand to Harry’s chest. Harry could tell that the troll was doing something special, although he wasn’t sure what.

“She struck your heart,” the troll king said somberly. “It is frozen.”

Harry heard the gasps all around him, Olaf’s particularly loud, but Harry could only stay frozen still. How did someone react to learning their heart had been frozen? It wasn’t particularly surprising as that area of his chest had felt so cold, but Harry hadn’t known this was possible. He didn’t know what it meant.

“What does that mean?” Louis asked, voicing the exact question that Harry had. “What happens?”

“It means that Queen Gemma’s magic will continue to spread throughout Prince Harry’s body.” Harry sensed true sympathy in the troll’s voice. “It will continue to spread until it has no where left to go, and then you will be frozen forever.”

He was looking Harry straight in the eyes for that last statement, as if delivering it so directly was the best way to go. Harry supposed it was. It got the point across. Harry could feel ice crawling into his stomach, but that might have been paranoia now that he knew what was coming.

“There has to be something that can be done,” Louis said, continuing to voice Harry’s own thoughts. There was true fear in the boy’s voice. A fear that Harry never would have expected to hear. Louis had become less cold towards Harry since they began searching for Gemma, but had yet to be openly friendly. Harry wouldn’t have expected the iceman to be concerned about his health. Maybe the idea of anyone becoming frozen was worrying to him. It was to Harry.

“There is,” the troll king said, causing hope to bubble up in Harry’s stomach. It seemed to be chasing away the cold already. “The magic can only be stopped by an act of true love.”

“Taylor,” Harry breathed, mind flashing to his fiancèe back at the castle. He turned to Louis. “I need to see Taylor. If I kiss Taylor, then I’ll be healed. We have to go back. Right now.”

Louis was frowning as if he didn’t quite agree with Harry’s assessment, but he nodded along anyway.

“Thank you Grand Pabbie,” Louis told the troll king.

“Anything for you, boy,” the troll answered, waving goodbye to them along with all the other trolls.

Louis led the way back to the sleigh, Harry and Olaf close behind. Harry was excited at the prospect of seeing his “true love” again after rushing away after Gemma. This was such a simple fix. Find Taylor, get one kiss, and be magically healed. He wasn’t going to die at all. He was so lucky to have found Taylor. What would he have done without her? Just a day ago, his prospects would have been infinitely dimmer in this same situation.

Olaf was rambling on about how romantic this all was, and Harry listened to it with a large smile on his face. Because it was romantic, and it was his romance that Olaf was going on about, not anyone else’s. He didn’t know how he’d gotten so lucky.

Louis, on the other hand, had grown more sullen than he had been when Harry first met him, which was saying something. The boy was frowning, and Harry thought he might have heard some low grumbling. If the boy hadn’t been steering the sleigh, then Harry swore his arms would be crossed against his chest.

A part of Harry puzzled over what had the other boy perturbed. This wasn’t stemming from what was happening to Harry. Something had Louis annoyed, and this time it wasn’t Olaf. Harry pushed the thought from his mind, choosing to focus on much happier things like seeing Taylor again. She’d fix this, and as soon as Harry was well again, they’d go and find Gemma together. As soon as she saw that Harry was alright, she’d have to come back. She wasn’t dangerous. Harry would show her.

They were in the heart of Arendelle faster than Harry had expected. He was thankful because the cold that had been in his chest was spreading throughout his abdomen now. It was becoming more and more uncomfortable. The sooner they could fix it, the better.

Louis drove right up to the castle. He leaned back and crossed his arms just like Harry had imagined him doing during the drive.

Harry hopped down immediately.

“Thank you,” he told Louis. “For everything.”

Louis shrugged, not even looking at Harry. Harry sighed, seeing that getting anything more was useless, and turned to go into the castle.

“Harry!” Taylor came hurrying towards him.

Harry opened his arms to her. They held onto each other for a few minutes before Taylor pulled back, looking at him in surprise.

“I was so worried! I was beginning to think you’d never come back.”

“Taylor, listen. I have to talk to you about something important.”

“Hold on.” Taylor shushed him. She led him to a nearby room, closing the door behind them. There was a fire going, and Harry wished it was more effective at warming the cold that still radiated inside of him.

He sat down on the sofa with Taylor, taking her hands in his even though his entire body was starting to feel stiff and difficult to move.

“What’s happened to you?” Taylor asked, taking in his difficulty of movement.

“Gemma’s magic. She accidentally froze my heart. I’m freezing to death, Taylor. The troll king said that only an act of true love can save me.”

Inexplicably, Taylor’s face brightened into a smile that was almost a smirk.

“This is amazing.”

Harry’s forehead wrinkled in confusion. “What?”

Taylor let out a short laugh. “You’ve made things so easy.”

“Made what easy?”

“Gaining the throne, of course.”

Harry was beyond confused now. Nothing she was saying made any sense. Taylor saw this and only laughed again, dropping her hands from his.

“I was only going to marry you to get the throne, you idiot.”

Harry’s mouth dropped open. “No, no. You’re lying.”

She giggled. “Of course I’m not. I’ll admit, I didn’t think it was going to be this easy, but I’m not complaining. I still have to get Gemma out of the way, but that’ll be so much easier when I can blame her for your murder.”

“My murd-” Then Harry realized what she meant. She was going to leave him to freeze to death and tell everyone it was Gemma’s fault, which would technically be true, but this wasn’t right! Taylor was the evil one if she was leaving him to die, not Gemma.

Taylor’s smile was finally showing her true colours.

“And I have to admit that it’ll be nice to rule all on my own and not answer to you. That would have dampened things quite a bit. I probably would have gotten rid of you eventually anyway.”

Harry struggled to do something, but the ice had weakened him enough that he couldn’t overcome Taylor.

But, if he was going to die, there was at least one thing he needed to know.

“Niall and Zayn. Were they in on this?”

Taylor let of a dismissive laugh. “No. My brother has always been a pain, and this is no different. Niall was supposed to come on this trip alone, but he wanted Zayn along. Purely because they’re friends, not whatever I told you. Honestly, if you ask me, there’s something more going on there, but if there is, they haven’t admitted anything yet. I was supposed to sit at home like I always do, but there was no way I was going to do that yet again. I begged to come along, planning from the beginning to wrap one of the poor, naive royals of Arendelle around my finger. You turned out to be the easier target.

“Doesn’t it make it all the more impressive that I acted alone though? I think it speaks well to my prospects as queen. Prospects I never would have gotten back home in the Southern Isles. My stupid brother gets all the respect there, and I couldn’t overthrow him because everyone would know it was treason. The commoners of the Southern Isles worship the ground I walk on, but the nobility all know better. No one in my family trusts me. I’m surprised Zayn and Niall didn’t try to warn you more than they did. Or maybe they did, and you didn’t listen. Pity you didn’t think you could trust the two people who know me better than anyone else currently in Arendelle. It would have saved you so much. Possibly your life.”

He shut his eyes tight, wishing he could open them and find that this had all been a dream. When he did, Taylor was still there though, standing in the now open doorway and looking at him as if she were admiring the situation.

“Goodbye, Prince Harry. It’s a shame you had to die for this. You’re a kind-hearted person. Far better than me in that respect. Maybe that will be of some comfort to you while you wait to go.”

She closed the door behind her, not showing one hint of remorse. Harry’s heart would have been going a mile a minute if it wasn’t frozen solid. His mind worked in overdrive trying to figure out how he could get help. He could feel the heat from the fireplace warming him less and less as the ice spread.

He had to get out of here.

His legs still worked if he struggled. He waddled towards the door as fast as he could manage. As they weren’t supporting his weight, he had a bit more luck with his arms, with his hands having full range of movement, and he jiggled the doorknob. Nothing happened. Taylor had locked it, of course, but it had been the first idea that came to Harry’s frazzled mind.

He looked all around the room. At first he hoped he could find something to ram the door open with, though he had little hope he could maneuver anything large enough. Then he noticed the window. It sat a few inches higher than Harry’s head, but he could still manage to reach it with his hands. He grabbed onto the edge, pushing the window up as far as his arms could reach.

Harry gripped onto the seal, attempting to pull himself up, but his body weight had become heavier than normal. He could hardly lift himself off the ground without falling back down.

He swore to himself before a chair caught his eye. Why hadn’t he thought of that before? He pushed the chair under the window and climbed up on it, feeling off balance.

The extra height gave Harry the advantage of being able to see out the window. The window ledge was under his chin now, and Harry could get his arms out the window and pull himself up further. His abdomen dug into the ledge, and he tried to wiggle one leg out while keeping a firm grip to prevent himself from going head first. He was only on the first floor of the castle, but that sort of drop wouldn’t have been pretty even if he wasn’t already being weighed down.

It was a struggle, but eventually Harry was straddling the window. Swinging the other leg over was much easier than the first had been, and soon he was hanging on by nothing but his arms. He lowered himself as far down as he could before letting go, landing with a stumble from the short drop.

Harry took a moment to take a deep breath. He couldn’t believe he had done that. It felt like the wickedest thing he’d ever done, even in comparison to escaping a giant snow monster. This was something he had accomplished on his own.

He looked around, orienting himself. As the grounds had been the only thing close to freedom he’d gotten most of his life, Harry knew the grounds well. So well that he also knew how to get out of them undetected. It wasn’t a skill he’d put to use before, not wanting to cause anyone trouble, but he was eager to avoid any guards who took orders from Taylor.

Harry crouched low to the ground, stumbling several times as he ambled through the grounds. He wasn’t sure how Taylor was going to spin things so the entire kingdom would listen to her even if Gemma and Harry were both gone. She wasn’t even an Arendelle citizen! Or maybe it was because she was the only other royal around except for her brother, who had his own kingdom to deal with. Was that how these things worked? Harry had no idea. He’d never planned to become king, so he’d never bothered to learn these sorts of things. Gemma would know, but that wasn’t of much use now.

Once he was off the grounds, Harry no longer had to worry about being found. Snow had begun falling in what could only be described as a blizzard. It was both a blessing and a curse as Harry was beginning to lose track of where he was. He couldn’t hear anything over the howling wind.

He wasn’t sure if it would matter if he could see or hear. He had no idea where to go or who to find. The only thing he could think of was finding some citizens so they could see he was still alive. He could plead with them to do everything in their power to not listen to Taylor. Gemma needed to live.

Never in a million years did Harry expect to stumble upon Olaf of all people. Things? Animate objects? Whatever it was that Olaf was, Harry found him ambling through the snow exuding nonchalance as a blizzard raged on around him.

Or at least he had been until his eyes landed on Harry and took in his state. Then the snowman looked truly worried for the first time since Harry had known him.

“But Taylor-” Olaf ran up to Harry, who was resisting the temptation to sink into the snow.

“No,” Harry stopped Olaf, a bite to his voice. “She’s not my true love. She’s horrible actually. I’m going to die, Olaf. There’s no one to stop it.”

The snowman looked surprised as he started shaking his head.

“Louis,” the snowman said, causing Harry to frown. “Louis is in love with you. He can break the spell!”

“What? No, he isn’t. He can’t be.”

Olaf crossed his arms as best as he could. “And why couldn’t he be? I swear he is. He all but admitted it after we dropped you off at the castle. He got all grumpy. Even kicked me out of the sleigh. I’ve been wandering around out here ever since.”

Harry thought back to how Louis had gotten increasingly agitated every time Harry spoke Taylor’s name. He’d thought it was strange, but he’d been too gone with the idea of Taylor being The One to consider Louis developing feelings for him. It was shocking immediately after having the romantic idealism he’d held so close ripped out from underneath him.

He thought back to the time he’d spent with Louis. He had grown to feel something for the boy. What that was, he wasn’t sure. How could he be when he’d been devoted to Taylor for the entirety of their acquaintance? He’d wanted to be friends, yes. Had kind of thought they’d become friends in all honesty. Now he had to reconsider it all. There was something admirable about the boy. He had a family of trolls, and despite his initial disdain towards Olaf, he’d shown a liking for the “animated lump of snow."

He had a heart, is what it came down to, and that was far more than could be said about Taylor. Louis hadn’t even voiced his feelings, just kept them quiet because he thought it was hopeless. He hadn’t tried to use Harry or hurt him. He’d even rushed Harry back into Taylor’s arms because he thought that was the only way to save him. Louis cared. Cared enough to let Harry be with someone else. Cared far more than Taylor ever had.

Louis was also the only chance Harry currently had at survival, and he had to live in order to save Gemma.

“Do you know where he is, Olaf?”

The snowman nodded his head eagerly. “I know the direction he headed in. I’m sure I could find him.”

“Take me to him, Olaf. Hurry. While I can still walk.”

They set off as quickly as they could through the harsh snow. The upside to his condition was that Harry was already so cold that the snow did little other than conceal how much the freezing had spread. Knowing such things would only serve to worry Harry at the moment, and he had to keep his mind on finding Louis.

Olaf led Harry to the fjord. Harry and Olaf both started calling Louis’ name, hopeful about finding the iceman even though the blizzard was leaving them with little vision.

Then Harry heard Louis’ voice. It echoed oddly due to the snow, and Harry called back hoping that they’d be able to find each other.

There were other noises too, and Harry knew something huge was happening around them. Suddenly, the storm stopped. Harry gasped in surprise, eyes immediately finding Louis only twenty feet away. Before Harry could take more than a few steps, Louis was at his side and looking at him in despair as he saw that Harry’s freezing hadn’t ceased.

With the blizzard over, Harry could hear the other noises much clearer than before. He looked in the direction of it all to see Gemma surrounded by Taylor, Niall, Zayn, and what looked like every one of the royal guards. Even Liam was standing alongside Niall and Zayn, although the three boys didn't appear to be participating in whatever was happening between the others.

Gemma was on her knees and crying into her hands. Harry’s heart pounded with sympathy for his sister who had probably just been told he was dead. Harry saw the sword in Taylor’s hands, and his stomach dropped.

The ice had almost taken over Harry’s body. It was all he could do to move in Gemma’s direction, but he went as fast as he could. Taylor’s sword swung down from the air right as Harry shoved himself in front of Gemma’s still crouching form. The magic took effect, forcing Harry imobile. The sword clanged against the ice without harm.

Gemma looked up from her sobbing and began screaming Harry’s name. All the onlookers watched in shock. Taylor took hasty steps back, not knowing what to do now that her plan had been thwarted. Niall took a step forward and wrapped a hand around his sister’s bicep, holding her in place. He, too, was looking at Harry’s frozen form with a look of deep sadness.

Louis stood farther back than the others with Olaf at his side. Silent tears were streaming down his face as he struggled to process what had happened. Olaf placed a tentative hand on his leg in comfort.

Then, out of nowhere, the ice encapsulating Harry began to thaw. It took a few moments for everyone to catch on, especially Gemma whose cries had become loud and desperate. All the people looked on in amazement as water began to drip down Harry’s form. Harry gasped as he regained his movement. He took a few steadying breaths, inspecting his body for any signs of damage and finding none. Gemma threw her arms around him, crushing him to her.

“How?” he asked out loud at the same time as Gemma.

“The act of true love,” Olaf exclaimed, calling everyone’s attention to him. “It was you sacrificing yourself for your sister. That’s what saved you!”

Harry looked up at Gemma’s tear-stained face. Of course. Love had been the entire fuel behind his actions. He didn’t think he could have made it in time if he hadn’t loved his sister so dearly. Harry took his own turn to hug his sister. Gemma stiffened in surprise but then wrapped her arms around him again while muttering about how happy she was that he was alive.

“Love,” Gemma said softly after a while. “That’s what saved you?”

Harry nodded. There was a bright smile across his face that he didn’t think was ever going to disappear.

“Love,” Gemma muttered. She held her hands up to look at them with a different meaning. “That’s it. That’s the answer. Why I could never control it before. I could never figure it out, but it has to be love.”

Gemma began concentrating and soon all the snow around them was melting. All of Arendelle returned back to summer just as it should be. Olaf jumped up and down in excitement as he got to see all the flowers and greenness for the first time, but soon, he was beginning to drip.

“Olaf!” Harry exclaimed in surprise, dropping down on his knees in front of the snowman. “You’re melting.”

Olaf frowned, looking down at his disappearing body as it did the opposite of what had happened to Harry. The snowman shrugged.

“I suppose I’ll never get to experience summer. It’s okay though. I’ll miss you guys.”

Harry could feel tears stinging at his eyes. He glanced up at Louis, who hovered above them, and saw there were tears in the other boy’s eyes as well. Then he looked at Gemma in complete desperation. Olaf was part of the reason Harry was alive, part of the reason why Gemma was alive. They couldn’t let him die.

Gemma had no way of knowing if she could do it or not, but she bit her lip and tried anyway. Soon, Olaf was no longer melting even as the summer heat continued to set in around them.

They all cheered, especially Olaf who began dancing in jubilation. Harry laughed and clapped along until he felt the tap on his shoulder. Louis looked down at him with the softest expression Harry had ever seen. It definitely wasn’t a look Taylor had ever given him. It was breath-taking.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Louis said as Harry stood up.

Harry laughed a little. “Yeah, me too.”

They stood there in awkward silence for a moment. Louis scratched at his neck as he tried to come up with words.

“So, um…” he trailed off, not knowing how to voice what he wanted to say.

Harry laughed a bit before he captured Louis’s lips in his own. They stayed like that for several minutes, ignoring all the people around him. He and Taylor had never even had a chance to kiss. Harry hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but now he was thankful to have not kissed such a despicable person. Louis’ lips were soft against his, and it felt amazing knowing that the other boy was responding to the kiss and not pulling away.

Eventually, they had to pull away to gasp for air, and both of them smiled widely at the other. Louis tugged Harry’s head down to rest their foreheads together.

“I guess that gets the point across nicely,” Louis said breathlessly.

Harry hummed in agreement, dropping another kiss on Louis’ lips before the sound of throat clearing interrupted them. Niall stood there with his hand still wrapped around Taylor’s arm. Taylor looked furious, but she didn’t struggle in her brother’s grip. Zayn and Gemma stood on either side of Niall, looking like guards.

“I would like to formally apologize for my sister’s actions.” Niall spoke to Gemma with the true dignity of a future king. It was the type of speech called for in these situations, even if it felt impersonal after Niall had willing went with Harry to save Gemma.

Gemma nodded, face impassive, to accept the apology. “Arendelle will not hold Princess Taylor’s actions against all of the Southern Isles.”

Niall bowed his head. “We thank you for that.” His voice became less formal as he continued. “I imagine she’ll be locked up quite a while. There will definitely be a trial for all this.” Niall turned to glare at Taylor, who had yet to break the nasty glare she was giving him. “No one in my family has ever been fond of her except my mother, if I’m being honest. Not since we found a detailed plan to off both my father and me when she was twelve. She’s been highly supervised since then, but no one expected she would do something like this to another country. Now that we know she’s capable of it, she’s looking at a life as a prisoner I would suspect.”

It seemed to pain Niall to say it, and Harry wondered how it would feel if he had to lock Gemma up in some dungeon forever. She hadn’t plotted to kill him, but she also hadn’t always been kind to him. He still couldn’t imagine it. He supposed love made a huge difference. He’d always known, at least in some capacity, that Gemma loved him, even when she yelled at him. Taylor didn’t seem capable of the emotion. Niall may have held some affection for the idea of a sister, but he didn’t seem to actually have one. Harry was sure Niall would be okay in time. Better, even, with Taylor out of the way.

“Just so you know,” Niall continued, now looking at Harry. “Zayn and I really did have nothing to do with this. We waited with Liam for quite a while after you two left. Nice guy, Liam, by the way.” Louis snorted from beside him, and Harry remembered that he and Liam were best friends. “Anyway, you all seem great. I think we could be friends, if you wanted. It’d be great for relations between our countries, admittedly, but that’s not why I’m saying all this. I’ve never been a ‘befriend people just for good politics’ kind of person. Small talk, sure, but not friends.”

“I’d like that,” Harry said, giggling out of surprise.

Niall turned to Gemma with an expectant look. She seemed surprised to realize she’d been included in that little speech.

“Oh, uh, sure. I’d like that too, I guess.”

Niall smiled at her. For a second it looked like he was going to hug them, but he realized he still had one arm occupied with Taylor and settled with smiling.

“This is cute,” Taylor said in a voice that gave away the opposite emotion. “But can we go now?”

It was Zayn who snapped at her. “I don’t think you’re in a position to be making demands. Not when you’re going to be locked up on that ship for the entire trip.”

Taylor rolled her eyes. “Whatever. It’s not like there would have been anything to do other than listen to you flirt anyway.”

There was a light pink tint to Zayn’s cheeks, although Niall ignored her comment. The group rushed through their goodbyes with promises to keep in touch. Their countries would have an amazing relationship, which was hilarious after Taylor’s intentions.

Once they were gone, Harry looked between Louis and his sister, also known as the two people who had become most important to him, and now here the three of them were alone together. Well, Olaf was there as well and babbling on excitedly like always. But still.

“Harry,” Gemma said, stepping forward. “I really am sorry for everything, for never wanting to see you and running away. I was trying to protect you, but it didn’t work. I promise it won’t be this way in the future. Especially since I can control my powers now. Things will be so much better. We’ll never be locked away in that castle again.”

“And we can play together?” Harry asked, bright smile.

“Harry, we’re eighteen and twenty-one,” Gemma reminded him.

“And we can play together?” Harry repeated.

Gemma’s face broke into a smile. “And we can play together.”

Harry’s smile widened, and he brought Gemma in for a tight hug. The past twenty-four hours had been the most terrifying of Harry’s life, but now it seemed like things would be much brighter. He had his sister in a way he hadn’t in more than a decade, and now he had a whole list of friends to spend time with. He’d never be lonely again. And maybe, just maybe, he was finally going to get to experience love. Real love, not whatever he had imagined for love with Taylor. Whatever he had with Louis had already far surpassed that, and he was sure it would only keep strengthening in the future.


End file.
